Hardest instruments to play

pedal steel is pretty easy to play. the strings are usually tuned to an open chord and you basically just play bar chords. there is also a visual reference of were the notes are. you just use the pedals and the knees to change the tuning to fit a chord into the key or to play different chords (major, minor, diminished)


bagpipes are physically demanding to play but they only play one scale + one extra note.

what about a full pipe organ? you have to have 4 way independence plus control a bunch of pull stops and unlike drums you are actually playing different notes with your feet. obviously terry bozzio is doing alot of stuff with his feet but i doubt he has 32 notes like a pipe organ. the only thing easy about an organ is that they use the standard keyboard which is pretty easy to play.
 
Hardest string instrument is the violin. Hardest wind instruments are the French horn, oboe and flute, because it takes an immense amount of practice just to be able to make a pleasing sound.

Hardest percussion instrument is the tabla drums of Indian classical music.

Sorry to say, but I don't think the drum set ranks very high on difficulty compared to other instruments. Also, a knowledge of scales, theory, etc. is essential to playing, where it is not on the drumset and non-melodic percussion.
 
If I look at a harpist, the level of co-ordination required to execute notes between the hands is just ridiculous. Advanced pianists cover it and harpists have the compounding problem of non-uniform string tension. A lack of ergonomics with the harp as well and the difficulty of accuracy. I can see why it would be difficult.

That's interesting. I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the pedals, to me that's the most difficult aspect of the concert harp (my sister is a harpist, among other things...you can see her in action here). You set the key signature with the pedals, so if you've got anything chromatic or a sudden key change, you have to move the pedals to the corresponding sharps and flats (one pedal for each note, with three positions). Not only that, but you have to try and do it quietly!
 
Hardest string instrument is the violin. Hardest wind instruments are the French horn, oboe and flute, because it takes an immense amount of practice just to be able to make a pleasing sound.

Hardest percussion instrument is the tabla drums of Indian classical music.

Violin, and tabla, yes.

Wind? dunno.. My 'windbags' tell me its the clarinet...something about the unique & highly complex arrangement of the keys and the fingering is insane.
 
That's interesting. I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the pedals, to me that's the most difficult aspect of the concert harp (my sister is a harpist, among other things...you can see her in action here). You set the key signature with the pedals, so if you've got anything chromatic or a sudden key change, you have to move the pedals to the corresponding sharps and flats (one pedal for each note, with three positions). Not only that, but you have to try and do it quietly!

That's mostly what I was reffering to. I was too lazy to explain though, so thanks for that.

It really is insanely difficult. It also requires a very sensitve touch that's really hard to learn (if to learn at all).
 
Does anyone here think the drums are harder than the guitar?
 
That's interesting. I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the pedals, to me that's the most difficult aspect of the concert harp (my sister is a harpist, among other things...you can see her in action here). You set the key signature with the pedals, so if you've got anything chromatic or a sudden key change, you have to move the pedals to the corresponding sharps and flats (one pedal for each note, with three positions). Not only that, but you have to try and do it quietly!

thanks for sharing that vid..i really ejoyed it...i would actually vote that the sax is harder than the clairnet and that the piccilo is really hard if you have beefy fingers.
-george
 
what about a full pipe organ? you have to have 4 way independence plus control a bunch of pull stops and unlike drums you are actually playing different notes with your feet. obviously terry bozzio is doing alot of stuff with his feet but i doubt he has 32 notes like a pipe organ. the only thing easy about an organ is that they use the standard keyboard which is pretty easy to play.

that's what i was going to say! i'm absolutely amazed by anyone who can play that instrument. they've got multiple keyboards, stops, and complicated stuff going on with both hands and their feet. what they're doing with their feet i think is incredible, and they can't even see down there. they would probably laugh at how easy drums are!
 
This is my 10th year on the kit.....
Don't know if drums are the hardest but it ain't been very easy....thats for sure!
 
I think tabla scare a lot more people than they should. They are just as hard to master as anything else... Well maybe harder to "master", but under the right circumstances and guidance, you should be able to play the basic bols and accompinaments and some variations in an acceptable manner in a relatively short amount of time.

Advanced concepts of matras, tal, and variations on bols would confuse the heck out of anyone without a teacher. You need a teacher, and to some degree you need to understand the Hindi notation (I've been told) to truly understand the subtleties between notes that otherwise look identical when written in English. But for all intents and purposes, I think you can get away with the basics and sound halfway decent after a few months, to a year or so of practice.

It is a difficult and very precise type of percussion instrument. I'm on board with anyone else who thinks any instrument would be difficult to "master" (and I still detest that word as it relates to musicianship).
 
I think tabla scare a lot more people than they should. They are just as hard to master as anything else... Well maybe harder to "master", but under the right circumstances and guidance, you should be able to play the basic bols and accompinaments and some variations in an acceptable manner in a relatively short amount of time.

Advanced concepts of matras, tal, and variations on bols would confuse the heck out of anyone without a teacher. You need a teacher, and to some degree you need to understand the Hindi notation (I've been told) to truly understand the subtleties between notes that otherwise look identical when written in English. But for all intents and purposes, I think you can get away with the basics and sound halfway decent after a few months, to a year or so of practice.

It is a difficult and very precise type of percussion instrument. I'm on board with anyone else who thinks any instrument would be difficult to "master" (and I still detest that word as it relates to musicianship).

a "western" drumset is the most easiest instrument to learn: any kid can watch the drummer and imitate it in a minute, most basically crossing hands and play right hand on the highhat, left hand on the snare...
Tabla is something very different, I think it is is about understanding Rhythm in terms of communication and language. also Tabla is of extremely low volume..this does no impress any western drumming Kid at all.....I think tabla is the most easiest percussion instrument to play, once you are from south India, but hardest to learn if you are not....I wish I coud not only take tabla lessons but first learn the "Dah dih na" language...but I am too old for this.....Only thing I can do this far is the Chuck Berry Duck Walk, which, beeing a dummer, does not help me much.
 
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I've heard, and I wanted to run this by everyone here, that, in order of difficulty, the hardest instruments to play are:
1. Violin, because all the notes are on a fairly small neck and the bowing aspect
2. Pedal Steel Guitar because in addition to the hands and feet, the knees are also employed
3. The drumset

I'd like to know if anyone knows what #4 and so on is
I'd also like to know if anyone can coorborate or refute this.
I can't tell you how much I love having all you good people to bounce stuff off of, it's like I have friends all over the world.
Thanks,
Larry

I don't think drumset is the hardest instrument to play unless you don't have God given talent. Violen and guitar definetly and I would say anything thats a brass or wind instrument!!!
 
I don't think drumset is the hardest instrument to play unless you don't have God given talent. Violen and guitar definetly and I would say anything thats a brass or wind instrument!!!

Im sorry, but what are you talking about? Drumset is incredibly difficult to learn how to play well, no matter what "god given talent" you possess. Honestly, saxophone is not anywhere near the hardest instrument to simply play, but the easier and instrument plays the higher the standards for playing it are. There is no one level that people get to that they can be considered a master, and it doesnt transcend every instrument.
 
I think tabla scare a lot more people than they should. They are just as hard to master as anything else... Well maybe harder to "master", but under the right circumstances and guidance, you should be able to play the basic bols and accompinaments and some variations in an acceptable manner in a relatively short amount of time.

Advanced concepts of matras, tal, and variations on bols would confuse the heck out of anyone without a teacher. You need a teacher, and to some degree you need to understand the Hindi notation (I've been told) to truly understand the subtleties between notes that otherwise look identical when written in English. But for all intents and purposes, I think you can get away with the basics and sound halfway decent after a few months, to a year or so of practice.

It is a difficult and very precise type of percussion instrument. I'm on board with anyone else who thinks any instrument would be difficult to "master" (and I still detest that word as it relates to musicianship).

When I was at secondary school a few years ago we had a student in the Sixth Form who was an absolutely stunning tabla player. One of the best in the Country - and I mean that sincerely and seriously and that was based on what I had heard from various Indian Musicians he had played with. He even ran a tabla club (which I unfortunately, could not attend due to a hectic schedule) and he taught students very well. The best student was good; but the gulf was still vast. I wish I had been able to take lessons.
 
That's interesting. I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the pedals, to me that's the most difficult aspect of the concert harp (my sister is a harpist, among other things...you can see her in action here). You set the key signature with the pedals, so if you've got anything chromatic or a sudden key change, you have to move the pedals to the corresponding sharps and flats (one pedal for each note, with three positions). Not only that, but you have to try and do it quietly!

WOW!! Tell Amy she's a damned good musician, and none too hard on the eyes as well. ;-)
I saw the keyboard stuff in the other vid, L0L!! Pretty cool!!!
 
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